Baltes, Heilhecker Grosskopf – Four times three

4 reviews for Baltes, Heilhecker Grosskopf – Four times three

1. 

   Sylvain Lupari / Guts Of Darkness – 2022-11-22

   First released on Manikin label in 2001 and rereleased by Groove in 2004, Viermal Drei (4×3) from Grosskopf, Balts, Heilhecker, is no more and no less an extension of Ashras works, but with a more industrial touch, always binding itself within psychedelic approach on a fine technode structure. A great album which contains 4 extremely interesting titles.

   A desert wind which is transformed into a hoarse apocalyptic siren opens Blue Lake. An acid lake with heavy and metallic waves which hem in a prehistoric atmosphere, although this very progressive mood. A forgotten world. An industrialized universe which hops on nervous sequences, in a sea of squeezed stratas which crisscross an increasing and neurotic rhythmic.Harald Grosskopf‘s percussions draw an atmosphere of carnival, while slowly; the loops of Axel Manrico Heilhecker guitar merge with this carnivalesque rhythm under the hot breaths of a discreet, but very effective, synth. This musical set up makes us forget the rhythmic progress of Blue Lake forget, so much ears are invaded by an inconceivable sound troop. A vicious progress, under guitar loops la Ashra and percussions more and more frenzied whose tom-tom beneath the striations of a guitar in deep heat. Still, we only are at the 8th minute point. Minutes which increase constantly under an intense musical influx where guitars and percussions are in the front-scene. Grosskopf takes the control and beats the skins of its drum furiously under a hiccoughing guitar and an apocalyptic synth, announcing a rhythmic fracture under a solo of percussions before the tempo explodes in a soft techno movement la Juno Reactor, under an avalanche of striations, coming as much from the synth as the six strings. A guitar that roars and shoots magnificent solos, below a frenetic rhythm. Blue Lake is a magnificent opening, as sublime as Echo Waves and Niemand Lacht from Ashra in Japan or Sauce Hollandaise.
   Crazy Snake starts without ambiguity. A strange rhythm, without movement but noisy, with metallic percussions flickering under a static and booming guitar. Suddenly the rhythm shapes under a fuzzy guitar which hems under a storm of industrial sound percussions and effects. A heavy title, less technod but more fluid than Blue Lake, which soaks in a surrealist atmosphere. Very good and especially very audacious. I like this metallic frog which caws in this musical shanty town.
   A fine low pulsation opens White Deer Skin Dance‘s tempo. Striation of guitar and synth brood the progression of this track which borrows a nervous rhythm under guitar jerky chords. Less laborious than Blue Lake, White Deer Skin Dance remains very interesting; wild rhythm, bordering techno atmospheres, under a psychedelic industrial sound fauna. The work of Grosskopf is splendid and takes all its immoderation in the 2nd part. Another very good title that gets closer to subdivided paces of Blue Lake.
   The Long Walk is a more static title which begins in a paralyzed atmosphere where the guttural singing exercises are molding to metallic thunders. The wind there is dark and lightning stream beneath a deaf increasing pulsation and strata of a misty guitar which floats as a ether perfume in a magnetic desert. In middle course, the piece livens up with a heavy slowness, under strident guitar loops, fastened to percussions which run lazily on a musical structure more psychoprogresive ” than electronic.

   Viermal Drei (4×3) of Grosskopf

2. 

   Pascual Jurado – 2022-11-22

   Baltes, Grosskopf and Heilhecker with this album offer us a powerful sample of what they are capable of doing.
   This release has a style approaching the Synth-Pop trends, and more specifically, Trance music. There even are certain psychedelic touches in the passages nearest to Rock. The four long themes are basically upbeat, with cybernetic rhythms, percussion, and unreal environments.

   2004. Pascual Jurado

3. 

   Matt Howarth / Sonic Curiosity – 2022-11-22

   This 54 minute CD from 2004 features an excellent dose of energetic electronic music.
   While Baltes has gained a reputation for his keyboard work with Ashra during the band’s tours in the late Nineties, Grosskopf has become a German legend for his drumming which has graced the recordings of Klaus Schulze, Ashra, and numerous others. A sample by Manuel Gttsching (Ashra‘s leader and guitarist extraordinary) is featured in the third track.
   If you’re expecting a strong Ashra/Schulze sound with this music, you’d be relatively correct in that assumption. Ricocheting guitar notes looping into infinity, sinuous E-perc that mounts in passion with every moment, a wall of versatile electronics–all these factors are present in profusion, and delightfully so.
   The guitar is very Gttschingesque, ringing from stage to heaven and back again with nimble fingered riffs that are cycled back on themselves faster than casual detection can glean. Add in some searing sustain chords that resound with nearly painful accord (normally these heights would be referred to as space guitar, but this time these peaks possess a very human touch, so we’ll forego the space” allusions).
   The percussion is luxurious and complex. With quasi-normal sounding drums rolling a tempo

4. 

   Donato Zoppo – 2022-11-22

   4 + 3 = 7: numero misterioso e magico.
   4 x 3 = 12. 2 + 1 = 3: numero perfetto.
   Con la numerologia potremmo andare avanti all’infinito, lo stesso infinito che il trio tedesco scatena con la sua musica ipnotica e ossessiva.

   Un trio delle meraviglie, ci viene da dire. Harald Grosskopf, batterista ormai leggendario, collaboratore di Klaus Schulze prima e degli Ashra dopo. Steve Baltes, live electronics wizard”